Crisis of Credibility

Alok Prasanna Kumar writes:

The Karnataka government’s defiance of the Supreme Court’s orders of 20, 27 and 30 September, directing it to release water to Tamil Nadu, was a direct challenge to the authority of the highest court in the country. Faced with such open and wilful disobedience, the Supreme Court did not take any steps to have its orders enforced. It allowed the Karnataka government to escape the consequences of deliberately dis­obeying the Court’s orders thrice. These events suggest that the Court’s authority and credibility have been seriously undermined by the constitutional authorities which are bound to follow its every order. The Court itself has played no small role in this unfortunate turn of events.